Still looking for ways to better customize my Vietnam scenarios I'm looking into the possibility of adding units insignias to the counters, even though the possible free space on them is very tiny (like 6x9 pixels ). Here's an example with the 1st Cavalry Division patch, turns out quite good despite the very small size. Also, I will probably use square counters in the future, instead of clipped ones, opinions?

ORIGINAL: Boonierat Also, I will probably use square counters in the future, instead of clipped ones, opinions?

Boonierat,

I love your Vietnam series but if you are going over to square counters please allow the player an option to swap in the lovely rounded ones. I am not sure why but the square counters look so toy town to me. Thanks.

Agreed. But if it's a straight choice between toy town counters with unit patches I can't distinguish and those lovely rounded counters then the latter win every time.

Just be aware that when it comes to graphics mods, every player has their own idea of what looks good. Scenario designers should not force graphics mods on players. Give players the option if at all possible.

Here's what I'll do, next volume will have the rounded counter templates and will also include the square ones for people wishing to use them. The mod with units insignia would be too heavy (using nearly 50 different counter templates) and not really usefull, gonna keep it for personnal use only.

Here's what I'll do, next volume will have the rounded counter templates and will also include the square ones for people wishing to use them. The mod with units insignia would be too heavy (using nearly 50 different counter templates) and not really usefull, gonna keep it for personnal use only.

Booniwrat, You might try expanding the counters by 2 in both direction, and adding an h_ prefix when you save it. Then if they're viewed using the Huge 2D menu option, there should be enough room for the insignia.

Let me know if you have trouble, or if it doesn't work right.

Ralph

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Ralph Trickey TOAW III Programmer Blog: http://operationalwarfare.com --- My comments are my own, and do not represent the views of any other person or entity. Nothing that I say should be construed in any way as a promise of anything.

ORIGINAL: ralphtrick Booniwrat, You might try expanding the counters by 2 in both direction, and adding an h_ prefix when you save it. Then if they're viewed using the Huge 2D menu option, there should be enough room for the insignia.

Let me know if you have trouble, or if it doesn't work right.

Ralph

I could be done but it would be quite some work. To do it properly I would have to redraw every counter symbols, not just resize them x2 (TOAW large 2D counters are 31x31 pixels, and when resizing them to 62x62 with a graphic editor they become blurry). I wonder if somebody had the courage to do huge version of the 110 counter templates already?

If you didn't already know that the 1st CAV patch is the black diagonal with a horsehead in the upper right you might not be able to discern what in the world it is.

This is probably true, but a quick explination regarding the fact that Boonie has altered the graphics and added the unit patches means the players that are interested will look up the unit patches, and those that aren't interested won't worry about it.

quote:

Here's what I'll do, next volume will have the rounded counter templates and will also include the square ones for people wishing to use them. The mod with units insignia would be too heavy (using nearly 50 different counter templates) and not really usefull, gonna keep it for personnal use only.

Good plan. I too am one that loves the profesional look that the rounded counters brings to the game, over the 'I just cut these out' look of the squared counters.

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Here are the counter color edits that I'll be using for my update to my "Killer Angels 1863" scenario. The colors were picked from actual Civil War uniform photos. Those of you working on Civil War scenarios might be interested.

if i'm not mistaken, all the graphics used in the game is 8-bit, any chance that this will be changed in the future patches, to e.g. 24-bit?

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"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. "I don't much care where –" said Alice. "Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat. LC

if i'm not mistaken, all the graphics used in the game is 8-bit, any chance that this will be changed in the future patches, to e.g. 24-bit?

I don't see why anyone would ever need more than 8 bits of color, or 640K of system memory either, for that matter...

On a more serious note, I don't really think that the color depth is an issue. The original graphics may have been created with 8-bit limits, but as far as I know, the engine simply calls for a bmp file, and doesn't concern itself with the color depth that the file was originally created under.

In short, if you want to mod your own graphics, go ahead. However, to recreate all of the pre-existing graphics just to give them a little more color, would be more trouble than they're worth, IMO.

The graphic mods I'm making for my scenarios are all saved in 24-bits, and they work perfectly with the game. The only interest to save them in 8-bits would be to reduce file size but with today's internet broadband and huge computer HD space that's not an issue anymore.

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. "I don't much care where –" said Alice. "Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat. LC

The concentric circles are for the little animation that happens when a battle is resolved I believe and the two R are used when setting an hex for rebuild units to reenter game. Forgot what the little bridge is for.

When a combat happens, you'll see the little circles over the hex. The different Rs are to denote the general reconstitution hex that you set (only visible in editor). I don't know what the others are.

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To repeat history in a game is to be predictable. If you wish to learn more about EA, feel free to pop over to the EA forums Europe Aflame Forums.

This is due to the repeated renaming of Strategy Zone Online to Xtreme Gamer and then to Gamesquad (argh! beat DonMaddox for that). Here's the link to the GS toaw misc downloads. You may have to create an account to be able to download.

Thanks for the new link. In fact, I was also just trying to get to xtreme amer fourm and found it gone too. Now maybe I can find my CM forums again.

Thanks again. I plan to order TOAWIII today or tommorrow. I bought TOAW I and TOAW -WOTY way back when, but I got a little bent out of shape when they put out COW 3-4 weeks after I bought the WOTY, and my wallet just couldnt give in to another TOAW purchase then.

But thats been quiet a few years, so I guess I can feed the monkey now.

..if i put graphics in the alt-graph file, toaw'l use these for all scens ? but if i put them in a scen file then they'l only be used for that scen?

If there are simply in the alt graphic folder then yes, it will override the standard ones. The best is to put scenario-specific graphics in a folder of their own named with the exact same name as the scenario file. That folder can be located either in the alt graphics or graphics folders (even in the scenario folder I believe, not sure)